Cruise Ship Returning to Manhattan Stuck Several Hours in Hudson River

The Norwegian Cruise Lines ship Breakaway was stuck in the Hudson River for several hours on Sunday when one of the vessel’s thrusters malfunctioned as the ship was returning to Manhattan, officials said.

The Coast Guard said the Breakaway reported a problem with its steering system at around 7:40 a.m., according to NBC New York. The ship was towed to Pier 88, at West 48th Street, docking just after 10 a.m., when the tide had changed. The Breakaway was returning from a seven-day Caribbean cruise and had been scheduled to unload at the pier at about 7:30 a.m. Newsday reports that the delay caused some passengers to miss their connections home, and the ship’s next departure was pushed back about an hour, to 5 p.m. Sunday.

During the delay, passengers said, Norwegian could have provided better information. The ship’s decks were crowded with passengers and their luggage, and passengers grew anxious. According to Cindy Petrillo of North Haven, Connecticut, “People were getting nasty toward the end,” Newsday said.

Norwegian Cruise Lines, in a statement released Sunday, said the delay was due to “strong currents in the Hudson River.” Officials thanked “our guests for their patience and understanding,” NBC New York reports. According to the cruise company’s web site, the Breakaway is “the largest cruise ship ever to home port year-round in New York City.”